Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold

Lakers add Ettore Messina to Mike Brown's coaching staff

July 8, 2011 | 2:57
pm

In a move that was widely expected to happen, the Lakers officially added Ettore Messina, one of Europe's highly esteemed coaches, as a coaching consultant under Mike Brown.

Lakers spokesman John Black said he couldn't say what Messina's day-to-day duties would entail, but he said that Messina was hired on a full-time basis, will attend all games, practices and coaching meetings and will sit behind the bench.

After spending the last two seasons coaching at Real Madrid and coaching CSKA Moscow from 2006 to 2009, leading them to two Euroleague titles (2006 and 2008), numerous reports indicated Messina resigned from his position at Real Madrid because he would like to be a head coach in the NBA but believes he needs experience as an assistant coach first.

But Messina already has some history with the NBA, helping the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers in various consulting roles. Messina also helped Brown set up Cleveland's offense when Brown was a head coach there from 2005 to 2010.

"I am honored to have received this opportunity from one of the greatest basketball organizations in the world,” Messina said in a statement. "I have great respect for Coach Mike Brown and I’m excited to work with him and his staff."

Messina also won the 1998 and 2001 Euroleague with Virtus Bologna of Italy, with the 2001 team featuring San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili. Messina, who coached the Italian national team from 1993-97, has picked up numerous awards, including European coach of the year (1998), Italian coach of the year (1990, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2005) and the Euroleague coach of the year (2006 and 2008).